DTM Norisring: Ones To Watch

Round Five of the DTM Touring Car Championship arrives this weekend at the street-level Norisring in Nuremberg – home not only to epic motor races but also the famous Nürnberger Bratwurst and the oldest Bratwurst restaurant on the entire planet.

Trivia fans will be interested to know the circuit is located on the same grounds the Nazi party rallies were once held. It's also the only street circuit on the DTM calendar, ensuring one of the most exciting and closely fought races of the season Here's who you should be keeping an eye on...

Martin Tomczyk (Germany) – Schaeffler Audi A4 DTM
All eyes are on this Red Bull-backed Audi driver at the moment after Tomczyk won the season's fourth DTM race at Lausitzring, ending Audi's six-year barren spell at the track. The victory followed his win at the Red Bull Ring and the 29-year-old now leads the championship with 30 points – in spite of racing a 2008-spec Audi A4 DTM.

Mattias Ekström (Sweden) – Red Bull Audi A4 DTM
Two-time champion Ekström got off to a fine start this season with a second-place finish at Hockenheim, but last time out in Lausitzring was a bit of a disaster for the Red Bull driver. Problems with tyre pressure and a difficult pit stop saw the Swede settling for 11th. The experienced driver also blamed his performance on too much oversteer when braking and in the turns. Lessons have been learned, though, and the Swede is sure to bounce back strongly here.

Bruno Spengler (Canada) – Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class
Currently second in the standings, just one point behind Tomczyk, Canada's Spengler will be revved up for this as he tries to wipe the disappointment of Lausitzring from his memory. He started in pole there but struggled to keep up with the German championship leader and was forced into third. But with one victory and a second-place finish in his opening two races, Spengler will be wanting to return to that sort of consistency at the Norisring.

Miguel Molina (Spain) – Red Bull Audi A4 DTM
Red Bull's other driver, Spain's Miguel Molina, is showing signs of improvement all the time. In fact, for much of the race in Lausitzring the Spaniard was keeping pace with the leading pack, holding onto sixth until a mechanical fault in the transmission. He'll only get better this youngster so keep an eye on him.

Ralf Schumacher (Germany) - Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class
The veteran German driver wasn't as unhappy as you might think after his 12th-place finish in round four. The reason? In the second stint in Austria he was building up the sort of speed that might usually win a race, plus he's currently fifth in the standings and only 16 points off the leader. With his race experience, who'd bet against the German whittling that gap down over the next few races?